The Replacement Hunters
by Acendant
Summary: John Woo inspired DMC action. Sequel to The Cult. Dante accepts a job in Hong Kong, only to find that he's not the only hunter in town
1. Trouble in Hong Kong

Disclaimer; Devil May Cry is the property of Capcom, All John Woo quotes belong to the movies that they came from and the respective companies that made them. Please Don't Sue

Authors note. This started off so easy, just your average 'Devil hunter hunts unstoppable beast' cliches. One night involving far too many John Woo movies and it was a very different beast. I'm easily influenced.

P.S. Kudos and muchas gracias to HanyouKayleeSama and Penniewise for your kind words regarding my last story.

The Replacement Hunters

It was dark here, so dark that the man couldn't see an inch in front of his face. And cold, so cold that it felt like a knife cutting through his body. But that was not the reason that the man was shaking. That was not the reason why he wished so desperately to be anywhere but here. He had heard the hideous, inhuman cries and had just had to investigate. What a fool he had been. When he laid eyes upon the beast that had made that horrible noise he had felt his skin crawl. He had seen it and it had seen him and no matter where he ran it would chase him. Now he was here, in the cold and the dark, and it was going to find him...

-

Erika hated swords, no two ways about it. Dante had decided that it was something that she needed to know and there was no changing his mind. Erika had tried to explain that she didn't think it was so important. She was already an expert at martial arts and while she may not be as good with guns as Dante was, she was getting better all the time. Dante could not be swayed. That was why she was stood in the large yard behind Dante's office, holding a sword in an unconvinced grip and listening to Dante trying to coax her into action.

"Dante, this is stupid. It's not as if I'm helpless" Erika complained, making him smirk.

"Giving up already? Don't be such a wimp" he teased before lunging forwards with his own sword. Erika dropped her sword and ducked underneath Dante's arm, grabbing it and putting her weight on his back, forcing him to his knees.

"Who's the wimp?" She asked. Dante just laughed.

"That's good, but now you're unarmed. What if I do this?". Without dropping his sword Dante pushed back onto his feet, catching Erika and flipping her over his shoulder. As she landed he pointed the sword at her face.

"Now you're helpless" he laughed, lowering his sword. Erika got to her feet and went indoors. Dante watched her go. It had been nearly two months since that night that they had met. The last vestiges of the torrential snowstorm hadn't quite melted away yet but outdoors wasn't too bad, just a few icy patches and general slush here and there. One of the first things Dante had suggested was to teach Erika about swords. He had thought that it would be a good way to build a bond between them but so far Erika didn't seem to want to get involved. The frustrating part was that she had picked it up pretty quickly. Dante couldn't work out what was wrong. Indoors, Erika had sat down on the sofa. Dante had insisted that she move in with him. Her powers hadn't fully developed yet, and Dante wanted her where he could keep an eye on her. Erika had only agreed to this because she hated the new owner of the garage where she worked.

"Hey, you ok kiddo?" Dante asked.

"I'm fine" she said quietly.

Two months was long enough for Dante to figure out what this meant. Erika was far from fine.

"Want to talk?"

"No". For a moment she was silent. Dante just looked at her with his strange ice blue eyes. She looked away, tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair. Dante kept staring.

"Do you know what that snake thing called me?" she asked, finally breaking "'Sister of Son of Sparda'"

"Those things just like to hear themselves talk. Besides 'daughter' doesn't have a 's', it couldn't hiss it". The head of the snake demon in question was hung from the wall. It's long tongue hanging so low it touched the head underneath it. Erika was not exactly crazy about being the half-sister of the notorious devil hunter. She didn't even consider herself to be truly Sparda's daughter. Dante gazed at the snake's glassy eyes; trying to think of something worth saying. He had tried to get her involved in as many cases as possible. When it came to defending against devils there was no substitute for first hand experience. Whether she liked it or not the devils were going to come. Erika was even starting to look like a Sparda; her hair was gradually turning from black to silver white. Right now it had the appearance of tiger stripes. Erika often joked that she could feel her IQ dropping as she turned blonder.

"I know that look, that's the same look this kid I used to know had when he was trying to figure out what really happens to cats on hot tin roofs" Erika commented. Dante had the perfect comeback all lined up when the phone rang, making him forget it.

"Hold that thought" he said as he got up to answer the phone. "Devil Never Cry". Dante listened to the speaker. Then he hung up. The look of concentration back on his face.

"Are you gonna tell me what that was about or do I have to start checking the roof for the neighbourhood cats?"

"Very funny. How do you feel about taking a little trip?"

-

Detective Li sat behind a small mountain of files and paperwork on his desk. Most of it was about two of the most infamous Crime syndicates that Hong Kong had seen in the last decade. The two gangs, lead by a man named Han and a man named Chu respectively, had been at war for the better part of the past two years. Li was the head of a task force assigned to bring the mobs down. That had been his life for as long as he could remember. During his time as captain of the task force he had been behind some of the largest operations that had caused the most damage to the two mobs, but the price he had paid for his successes was terrible. He had seen too many of his friends and colleagues either give their lives or lose loved ones over this. But by far the worst blow had come just recently. Five months ago Li had married a beautiful woman, and three months ago she had told him that he was going to be a father. Li had been shocked; he hadn't expected anything like this so soon. But he was also overjoyed. Two weeks ago an informant had told one of the bosses, either Han or Chu, that Li was planning a sting operation that would severely damage the flow of illegal drugs into the bosses territories. Two weeks ago on of the bosses, either Han or Chu, Li wasn't sure, had kidnapped and murdered his wife. Li could still feel the building dread as he had walked along the corridor to the morgue, could still feel a part of his soul dying as the pathologist had pulled back the sheet. Li had sworn that he would bring down whoever was responsible, which was why he was here despite everyone in the precinct telling him to take some time off.

"Li! What are you doing here?" The shout broke Li out of his deep thoughts. It was the station superintendent; a sour faced old man by the name of Chang.

"Sir, I've been following up on a couple of leads..."

"I don't want to hear it. You have been ordered to take some down time and I intend to see that you take it" Chang yelled. He knew it was pointless, Li was like a man possessed, but Chang was in charge here and what he said was final.

"Go home Li. You! What's the latest on those animal attacks?" Chang wheeled onto a young detective who reminded Li of Barney Rubble from the Flintstones. Li took a last look at his desk before rising to his feet. He wasn't going home though, tonight he had other places to be.

-

Hong Kong was a lot bigger than Dante had expected. He was supposed to meet the mystery caller at a jazz club called 'The Dancing Crane'. So far so cliched. As he approached the club he took note of the security outside. He had managed to drag Erika along, although she was feeling bitter about it. She hated flying. Dante had time to wonder how he was going to get his sword Alastor and his guns past the bouncers when a man approached them.

"You are aware that loitering is illegal" the man said, flashing a detective badge.

"Guess you'd better let me know where its safe" Dante replied before adding "what kind of lame code is that anyway?"

"One that works, follow me". He led them to a small apartment building at the end of the street. The room he led them to was bare. There was nothing to give the impression that somebody lived here other than a large rug that looked like it had been hastily dumped and a framed photograph of a young woman. The detective wore a gold ring on his left hand. Maybe she was his wife.

"My name is Li, am I correct in assuming that you are the devil hunter Dante? I'm sorry but I don't know who your friend is"

"You're wrong actually, he's Tom, I'm Jerry" Erika spoke up. Clearly she didn't trust Li.

"Ignore her, she's grouchy. What's this about?" Dante asked. Erika made an annoyed sound at being called grouchy.

"The first thing you need to know is that this entire area is in the middle of a gang war between two of Hong Kong's biggest criminal syndicates" Li pulled a folded map out of his jacket pocket. He had already highlighted the sections in question. "I chose this street as our meeting place because it's exactly between the two territories. Kind of like a No-man's Land between the mob soldiers".

"Wait a minute, you called me for a gang war?" Dante interrupted him.

"Please, I can handle Han and Chu, and all their petty little soldiers. I called you about something different. About a week ago people started disappearing. There have been 20 reported so far and this area is rife with homelessness so the real figure could be a hell of a lot higher. What we have found is more body parts than you get in your average Frankenstein movie, all of which look like they were mauled by some kind of animal, and so called eyewitnesses who described a lion about 10 feet tall"

"An animal, now we're getting somewhere" Erika commented sarcastically. Dante couldn't tell if she was still sore about the flight or if she just didn't like Li.

"Look, 'Jerry', I don't know what you're problem is but let's have less of the attitude!" Li snapped. Considering how coolly Li had described the situation Dante found it strange that he should rise to a little thing like that.

"Ok, first things first, where were the attacks?"

-

Li had come prepared. One of his hobbies was restoring motorcycles, and outside he had left a little something for Dante. A 1996 Triumph Thunderbird. Erika usually hated motorbikes, she had always preferred cars, yet now she was more than happy to ride with Dante if it meant she was away from Li. Dante couldn't figure out why she had taken such a dislike to him. There would be plenty of time to worry about that later. Right now they had a job to do. The area Li had described wasn't hard to find, Dante made it there in less than ten minutes.

"Do you mind explaining to me what all that was about?" Dante asked as he stopped the bike.

"What all what was about?" Erika said coyly

"Don't play dumb kiddo; you've got a problem with Li. Now spill"

"I don't have a problem, I just think he's being liberal with the truth"

"'Liberal with the truth', what is that supposed to mean?" Dante mocked. Just then a loud noise caught their attention. Dante drew Ebony and Ivory in the blink of an eye, sensing rather than seeing that Erika had followed suite with her own weapons. Moving slowly they advanced on the source of the sound, guns ready. Something furry and fast moving darted past them, they turned to face it, ready for anything. It held its ground and hissed at them. Nothing more than a stray cat. Erika let out a small sigh just as Dante noticed that they were stood in almost the same posture.

"It's like looking in a mirror, only not" He joked.

"I wouldn't care but I love that movie" Erika groaned. Dante just laughed.

"Yeah, John Woo kicks ass"

"My god, do we actually have something in common?" Erika asked as she lowered her guns. The irony of discussing John Woo films while aiming guns hit them, they couldn't help but laugh. Another loud crash caught their attention, followed by loud yowling from the stray. With an unknown demon on the loose now was not the time to take chances. They went to investigate. Dante rounded the corner just in time to see something the colour of a ginger tomcat leap straight up the side of a building. Without pausing for an instant he followed it. Erika stopped at the bottom. She was still a little tentative about some of the things that Dante could do. As she considered her options a small flash caught her attention. The kind of flash that comes from a camera. Dante could take care of himself, Erika decided, but someone taking photos was a definite problem.

-

Dante landed on the top of the building, disturbing a flock of pigeons that had taken over the rooftop. As they flapped and fluttered about furiously he realised that Erika had not followed him. As he turned to find out what was keeping her he heard it. That deadly low growl. Dante turned and saw it fully for the first time. It was inhumanly tall, eight foot easily but its strangely elongated limbs made it look taller. A giant man sized cat with ugly matted fur the colour of rust. It opened its mouth to hiss, revealing hideously lengthened fangs and a long forked tongue that made the snake devil's look like nothing. It shook two fiendish barbs on the ends of its tongue at him. They coiled and twisted like separate living things.

"Cute, now I know why vets neuter strays" Dante remarked.

Ebony and Ivory felt hot in his hands, eager to go to work. The beast leapt forward on those freakishly long limbs. Dante rolled forward, it sailed harmlessly over his head. Then Ebony and Ivory burst into song, a lullaby that Dante knew off by heart. The creature screeched it's own melody. A perfect harmony to the tune of the twin 45's. The pigeons danced and twirled as they sang. Then it rushed at him. Dante spun away from it; dancing to the deadly chorus as the monster howled out it's frustration. Then Dante leapt into the air and aimed down. Ebony and Ivory sang once more. A crescendo of hot metal rained down on the brute, it roared to the music, then fell into the deep slumber that so many devils before it had fell into. Lulled to sleep by the same tune. Cautiously Dante approached the prone figure, Alastor in hand. The thing didn't move. He put the sword away. Wondering where Erika had got to, he turned his back to the beast. Then the pigeons took to wing once more, drawing his attention. The devil was gone.

-

The flash had come from a building opposite the one that Dante had climbed. Erika hadn't felt confident enough to simply leap as Dante had done, she had climbed up a fire escape. This building had a perfect view of the one Dante was on. Erika took a moment to watch what he was doing when she heard a loud crack and felt something incredibly hard punch its way into her shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Her shoulder felt as though it was burning, she put her hand to it and it came back bloody.

"Trespassers" said a rich voice. Erika turned her head to see the speaker. He was tall and immaculately dressed in a white silk suit. He wore designer shoes and sunglasses, and his hair was long and a luxuriant brown colour. In his hand he held a smoking pistol.

"Who are you?" Erika shouted at him but he ignored her. Out of the pocket of his elegant suit he pulled an expensive looking digital camera. He then turned his back on Erika and started taking pictures of Dante.

"Hey! My brother doesn't like cameras" Erika shouted, realising what she had said only after it came out. The Long Haired Man looked down on her with a look of mild interest.

"Family, interesting..." He commented before aiming his gun at her face "devils grow craftier every day. I could have sworn you were human. Not too bright though... pity". Erika didn't like the way this was headed. Still crouched low, she lashed out, kicking at his leg and tripping him over. As he fell he dropped the camera. Erika dived for it; grabbing it and letting her momentum carry her forward and over the edge of the rooftop. The Long Haired Man watched her go...

-

Li sat alone in a darkened room, holding the picture of his dead wife in his hand. Her name had been Mai and he had loved her more than anything in this world. He thought of their wedding day, of how happy he had been and how he had wished to feel like that forever. Then his train of thought took him to the faces of Han and Chu. One of them had taken her from him. He felt something dark and poisonous well up inside of him at that thought. The sound of voices disturbed him.

"Dante, he was taking pictures of you and that thing! It doesn't take a genius to work out that he's bad news"

"I know, but devils that won't die are bigger problems than long haired creeps"

"So what? We don't do anything about him?"

"That's not what I'm saying..."

"Would you two shut up!" Li exploded "Is the demon dead or not?"

Dante told him what had happened while they had been out. Li's face grew darker as he listened.

"You shot at it. Of course, it's not as if that hasn't been tried before! Give a man a gun and he's Superman, give him two and he's God!" Li raged.

"You could have told me that before now. How do you expect me to fight it when I don't even know what it is?" Dante retorted icily. He could get good and angry without getting loud and angry. Li glared at him as if he were scum, then he stormed out.

"Still think I'm the one with a problem?" Erika observed. Dante said nothing.

-

In the magnificent office of an classy penthouse apartment the crime lord known as Chu sat behind a desk that was bigger than most people's houses. His back was to the door so he never saw who entered, he was talking on the phone so he never heard his assailant until it was too late. A thick gold chain was looped over his neck and pulled tight.

"Was it you?" A silky smooth voice whispered in his ear.

"What?"

"Was it you who summoned the beast that killed my partner?" He pulled the chain tighter.

"I... don't know... what... you're... talking about..." Chu spluttered. The chain was removed from his neck, then the assassin kicked the back of the chair, sending it hurtling towards the window. The Long Haired Man watched as Chu fell...


	2. The Investigation starts

A homeless man stumbled back to the alleyway where he had been sleeping for the past three nights. He'd heard the talk of the giant lion that was eating people around these parts but he didn't believe it. Probably just the ramblings of some drunk. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. He wasn't interested in urban legends. As he approached the little pile of old blankets that he had scavenged he heard a sound that chilled him to the bone. A woman screaming. For a moment he panicked, not sure what to do, then the sound was replaced with a new one. A roaring that no humans voice could make. All the stories he had heard came back to him. Somehow, they didn't seem so ridiculous anymore. In spite of himself, he felt compelled to see just what was making the noise. Moving slowly, his bad knee sending jolts of pain up his leg with every step, he followed the sound round the corner to its source. There it was, huge and hideous. The lion was eating something, but he couldn't see what. He didn't want to know. Then it turned and looked at him. Behind it's eye's a pair of gashes appeared, as if something was growing there. The beast yowled and started thrashing about. The man watched, helplessly frozen. Then the gashes opened and a second pair of eyes came up in their place. The monster stood up. Pushing itself up onto its back legs. It towered over its helpless prey...

-

By the morning it had made the news. Gangland executions were impossible to keep quiet. Every TV news network in Hong Kong was crowding around the story like flies, and at the police station tensions were running high. That was the scene that greeted Li as he entered.

"Hey, do you know what's going on?" He asked the first person he came across, who barely had time to look confused before a bestial roar rang throughout the office.

"Li! Get in my office, now!" Chang shouted so loud that Li thought his lungs were about to explode. Li followed him. The officer in charge of the animal attack cases was also there.

"I know you Li; you've got this whole vengeance thing going. I'm not blaming you for that but the last thing I need is a vigilante on the loose. So I'd rather you heard this from me so that I know you've got all your facts straight. Last night Chu died"

"Died, how?" Li interrupted.

"Natural causes, 'Natural' being gravity after a 400 foot drop from his penthouse window"

"400 feet? Sir, are you sure your not exaggerating?" asked the officer who so reminder Li of Barney Rubble.

"When I want a second opinion I ask a doctor, not some half baked moron who for all I know may not be able to tie his own shoelaces in the morning" Chang spat. Li could see an ugly purple vein throbbing on his forehead. "Now those animal attacks are happening right in the one neutral spot between the two mob turfs. If they aren't connected somehow then I'm the Queen of Sheba. I want the two cases put together. What are you waiting for?" Barney ran from the office so fast Li barely had time to blink.

"Do we have any details of Chu's assassination?" Li asked

"No, all we know is that someone managed to get passed his security without anybody being alerted. And if the rumours are to be believed Chu was so paranoid that he even had guards for his trips to the bathroom".

"Han doesn't have anybody who can do that" Li commented "do you think he's hired someone independent?"

"Could be, but you're still on leave. Don't make me suspend you." Chang warned. Disgusted, Li left.

-

In the small apartment Li was renting Dante had moved the few chairs to one side and was stood in the bare space left on the floor, Alastor in hand. The sword twirled in his hands as he slowly ran through some moves. Spinning and weaving with unnatural grace. The sword was less of a weapon and more an extension of his body. From the tiny kitchen Erika watched him practice. She had been examining the stolen camera, trying to figure out just what the mystery man had been taking pictures of. So far it all seemed to be of Dante and the cat devil. Li stormed in, breaking the relative peace.

"If he didn't want me on the case then why the hell did he call me in!" He cursed, punching at the nearest wall. "What are you doing?"

"Look out, it's Super Cop!" Erika muttered. If Li had heard he gave no sign. Dante glanced at her before he replied

"Blowing off steam. Until I can figure out what I'm dealing with there's not much else I can do. You should try it". Li didn't reply.

"Hey, check this out!" Erika called from over in the kitchen.

"What have you got kiddo?"

Erika had reached the end of the camera's memory. The picture was completely out of place with the rest. It was of a young woman.

"That's Mai!" Li exclaimed

"Its dated three weeks ago" said Erika.

"I don't believe this, Mai always believed in the supernatural. She's the reason I knew about you, how your organisation works, the passwords. I never thought it was real until recently"

"What happened?"

Li waved his hand in an uneasy manner. Clearly he wasn't going to say anything else on the subject.

"Well, it's a pretty safe bet that he's some kind of devil hunter, why else would he be interested in our hairy friend? The question is; why is a hunter taking pictures of your wife?" Dante mused. Li shot him a piercing look.

"What? Your wedding ring? Her picture? I'm not stupid"

"All I know is this. My wife was murdered two weeks ago; the creature started its attacks shortly afterwards".

"Two weeks ago?" Erika asked

"The only people who could have been responsible are the mob lords, Han and Chu, and someone took Chu out of the picture last night" said Li, not listening to Erika.

"That leaves Han. I wonder if he knows anything" said Dante

"Why not ask him?" said Erika

-

Li left them to their plan. He still wanted to know just who had got to Chu, and how. So when Dante and Erika left to find Han he went straight to the building that had housed Chu. The entire building had been cordoned off by police officers. Li flashed them his badge as he approached. Clearly they hadn't heard that he was supposed to be on leave. Upstairs a forensics team were searching the office.

"I'm Detective Li, Who's in charge here?" He asked, again flashing his badge.

"That would be me" Said the Supervisor.

"Can you tell me what you've found?"

"Aside from the obvious? We found a gold chain, judging from the marks that were on Chu's throat it looks like it was used to garrotte him before he was thrown from the window. Its been sent to the lab, we'll find out more there. Other than that not much, no forced entry, no signs of a struggle. In my opinion this was a professional hit".

"You're sure of that?

"Didn't you hear? We also found the bodies of several guards. If this was an inside job why bother with the hired help?"

"You're saying that a professional hit man cut through Chu's bodyguards, choked him for no reason, then threw him out the window?"

"The choking could be for interrogation purposes. I'm saying professional because its so clean. We found nothing on the other bodies, just the chain. And I think it was left there just to spite us"

"Ok, if you find anything else let me know" Li gave him his mobile number then left.

-

"Something doesn't add up" Erika said to Dante as they stood in wait behind a nightclub that according to Li, was owned by Han. They had decided that it would be the best place to start looking for him. His rival had, after all, just been eliminated. It was safe to bet he would be celebrating.

"Explain" Said Dante.

"Li said that the attacks started..."

"Li again? Erika, I'm not blind. What is your problem with him?"

"Dante, listen! Li said that the attacks started two weeks ago, right?"

"That's right"

"Last night he said it was one week. I think he knows more than he's telling us".

Dante drew his guns. Now that he thought about it, Li did seem very on edge. That could be work related, detective sounded like a very stressful job. Either way right now it didn't matter. Making a mental note to ask Li about it later he turned to the girl.

"This is boring the hell outta me. I say we go in there and drag Han out. Life's too short to spend waiting for creeps like him".

Erika drew her own weapons in agreement. The easiest way in would be the fire exits. A quick smile at the thought of an end to the boredom and Dante was all business. He ran at the fire door, jumping at it and hitting both feet off it. The door broke under the assault and fell in with Dante still riding on top of it. As it slid forward a few feet he fired off a few rounds, taking out the lights above him and plunging the club into darkness. Screams filled the club as the herd of people inside stampeded towards the exits. Han's soldiers responded to the challenge. They opened fire at the space where they had seen Dante enter. He had already moved, diving for cover behind the tables that had been overturned in the madness. Flashes of automatic fire behind him told him that Erika had joined the fray. She used a pair of Beretta M93Rs, smaller and less powerful than his own 45's but more than fast and accurate enough to make up for it. They sang a different tune to Ebony and Ivory, yet they sounded good together. The guards answered with a choir of pistols and rifles, each gun sang it's own song. The music accompanied by the fearful cries of those who had not yet evacuated. Erika dived to join Dante.

"Having fun yet?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Kiddo, we're just getting warmed up" Dante held before breaking cover. Some of the choirboys rushed towards him. Dante grabbed the first one and cracked his head off the nearest wall before throwing his prone figure back to his comrades. With the sound of the M93Rs providing cover Ebony and Ivory harmonised. The choir broke apart as its members scattered. Then a new voice joined the melody, the bass boom of a revolver. In the poor light left in the club Dante could just make out the figure of Li at the broken fire exit. Li ran to the table where Erika was positioned. Then his gun fell silent.

"Han's running!" He yelled above the chaos. He ran out blindly, chasing the mob boss. He didn't notice the soldier raise his gun and start to fire until a figure pushed him to the ground. Erika landed on top of him.

"You bastard, are you trying to get yourself killed?" She screamed in his face. Li pushed her off and resumed his chase.

"Dante!" She called out before running after Li.

-

Han was a fat mook, and fat mooks don't set speed records. By the time he had made it to a nearby alleyway he was ready to collapse. As he leaned on a wall, clutching at his chest, a silent figure approached him.

"Was it you?" Han had never heard that silky voice before, but the gun to his forehead got his attention.

"I swear to God I don't know what you mean!" Han said quickly.

"Not so tough without your army. Did you summon the best that killed my partner?"

"I have never seen you before, I don't know your partner" Han pleaded. At that moment a deathly low growling reached their ears. The Long Haired Man smiled a honeyed little smile.

"How poetic" He commented.

"Don't move!" Said a voice from behind them.

"Detective Li, how fortunate that you could join us" The Long Haired Man said in an airy manner.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Li asked, keeping his gun raised.

"Do keep back, I would hate to see you harmed"

The Long Haired Man grabbed Han by the arm and pushed him in the direction that the growling had came from. The beast stepped out of the shadows and seized hold of the struggling crime boss with those freakishly long arms.

"Now I must take my leave" Said The Long Haired Man politely as he turned away from the scene. Li watched, transfixed, as the creature extended it's hideous tongue and plunged the two barbs deep into the eyes of the crime lord. A chorus of sound and metal tore into the monster as Dante and Erika caught up with them. The beast dropped it's prey and ran. Dante went over to the prone form of Han while Erika shot Li a look of deepest loathing.

"You were gonna watch that thing kill him" She said in no uncertain terms. Li didn't answer her. Dante came over to them.

"The man's alive, barely" He said.

"Dante, this 'Brave Officer' was just gonna let that thing rip him apart" Erika spat

"That isn't true" Li argued.

"I've had it with you! Just because you've got a badge you think you can do whatever you want. You're all the same" She growled before storming off.


	3. Very bad things

Police investigations wasted no time in securing the scene of the nightclub shootout. What was left of Han's soldiers had all been arrested. Han himself had been rushed to the nearest hospital. Dante had made a discreet exit before the officers had shown up, leaving Li to talk to them. Right now his priority was finding Erika. Inside the club a young ballistics officer had just arrived on the scene. He was late.

"Yuen! What time do you call this? I expect my team to arrive promptly after being called in" the supervisor shouted.

"I'm sorry sir..."

"I don't want to hear it, get to work on those shells and cases" He ordered. With a sigh Yuen turned to look at his task. By the looks of things there was enough metal to build a small bridge. What a great way to start his first day on the job.

-

Li had to give a statement of his involvement in the nights events. After a thorough berating at the hands of Chang he had been suspended from active duty effective immediately. He had taken to the streets on his pride and joy, a Harley Davidson that he had owned since he was 17. He wasn't really thinking of where he was going but somehow he ended up at the local cemetery. Mai had been buried here barely three days ago. Almost on autopilot he walked over to her headstone. For a moment he was silent, until he felt that he wasn't alone.

"Detective, how nice to see you again". There was no mistaking that gentle tone.

"You again! What do you want?" Li snapped.

"Temper temper, you came here to grieve for your lost wife, I to grieve my fallen partner. What you don't know is that they are one the same"

"What do you mean?"

"Mai never told you what she did before. I came here hoping to persuade her to rejoin me in our quest to destroy the devils, only to find that she was planning on starting a family. I gave her my blessing. But now she is dead, and a devil is on the loose. One of the crime lords is responsible. We have a common foe" The Long Haired Man spoke softly. When Li didn't answer he continued.

"Now there is the matter of the beast to take care of, not to mention the two devils that have shown up. But with whichever of the two mob bosses responsible for summoning the creature..."

"But Han..." Li started.

"Pardon?"

"But Han... isn't dead" Li said slowly.

"Oh dear, that won't do at all now will it?"

-

Dante found Erika back at Li's apartment. She looked like hell.

"Didn't expect to find you here kiddo" He said as he came over.

"For God's sake Dante, why do you call me that" She protested.

"Call you what?"

"Call me kiddo"

"Ok kiddo" He smirked.

"That isn't funny" Erika held one of the two M93R's. Dante had done some custom work on them, not as much as on Ebony and Ivory, but enough to count. He had suggested that she give them names but so far she hadn't.

"What's on your mind?" Dante asked. She didn't answer.

"You know, you're gonna have to talk sooner or later. You can't sulk forever".

"Who said I was sulking? Tonight just brought back some bad stuff for me, that's all"

"Does this have anything to do with Li? You've been sore about him since the get go"

"That jerk. The less said about him, the better"

Dante wondered for a moment whether this had anything to do with what she had said to Li before she had left, but decided not to push it. When Erika was ready to talk she would talk. There was no sense in getting stressed out about it.

"Li is a royal asshole. Forget about him. Come on; let's see if you can remember what I taught you about tracking". A small smile dawned on Erika's face. Obvious relief at not being pressed for answers, even though she was sure that Dante was pretty hacked off at the way she had been acting. Holstering the gun she followed him outside, not noticing her foot catch on the old rug. The corner folded back as she walked over it, revealing a red mark on the floor underneath.

-

In the well-lit ballistics lab Yuen was sat with a microscope comparing striations on the bullets from the nightclub when he noticed something strange. He called the supervisor down. At first he was annoyed at being dragged away from his work but when he saw what Yuen had found he forgot all about being angry. Before long the entire crime lab was talking about it. Word eventually reached the ear of Superintendent Chang. He came down to the lab in person to get to the bottom of it.

"Would one of you genius's mind explaining to me what's got the whole department up in arms?" Chang scowled

"Some of the bullets we recovered from the scene have no rifling or striations" Said Yuen excitedly.

"No what?"

"It's like this; Rifling refers to the way a gun manufacturer drills the barrel. They're all drilled a different way depending on who made it. The rifling makes the bullet spin as it's fired which makes it more accurate. And striations are scratches on the bullet caused by imperfections in the barrel. Striation marks are as unique as fingerprints. Some of these bullets have none of them". Yuen explained.

"So, they weren't fired" Chang reasoned.

"No, they were fired. There are marks from a firing pin and they all show signs of impact. But other than that there are no marks on them at all!"

"Must be a really good gun".

"Sir, you don't understand. It's impossible for a fired bullet to have no marks on it. And that's not the weirdest part. Come see this!". Yuen led him into the lab.

"It's just the 45 cal. and a fair few that I think were from an automatic". Yuen said for no good reason. He picked on of the bullets in question out of a container and put in under the microscope. Chang took a look. Not only were there no marks on the metal, but the whole thing glowed with a faint greenish blue light.

"You can only see the glowing under the magnification. Without it they just look like any other bullet". For the first time in as long as anyone could remember, Chang had nothing to say.

-

At the hospital Han had been placed under heavy guard. He was in a coma, but he was alive. Police officers were stationed all over the hospital. Comatose or not, they were taking no chances. The officer who reminded Li of Barney Rubble had taken over the task force since Li's suspension. His name was Detective Su. Su had spent the past few hours since Han was brought in trying to ask the various doctors when, if ever, Han would wake up. The doctors were less than optimistic. Su had just about given up and was searching the ward for a coffee machine when Li showed up. Clearly some of the younger officers didn't know what had happened.

"Li! You're not supposed to be here. If Chang finds out..."

"Chang won't find out. Where's Han?"

"I'm not authorised to tell you that"

"Barney, quit being so by the book. I've been hunting Han since before you graduated. Now where is he?" Li said threateningly. Su didn't back down.

"Come here with a warrant and I'll personally hand him over, but until then he's my suspect. Who is in a coma, I might add" Li looked disgusted.

-

Outside, the all too familiar form of a huge cat stalked around the building. A young porter who had went outside for a cigarette thought he heard something, but he couldn't see anything. He decided to ignore it.

-

Yuen backed his battered old Honda into the only spare parking space in the whole hospital parking lot. He had just got word that his brother had just been in a road accident. He had rushed straight out of the lab and got here as fast as he could, and now he was frustrated at having spent the past quarter of an hour searching for a parking space. He was so caught up in his train of thought that he didn't notice that he was too close to a rather expensive looking car until he smashed the wing mirror clean off. As it's alarm went of Yuen found himself thinking, 'This day just keeps on getting better'.

-

The Thunderbird pulled up just outside the hospital. Dante turned to face Erika.

"Okay, now tell me why it would come here?"

"You didn't say anything about a test" She complained.

"Answer first, argue later. Shoot".

"Okay, some devils like to finish off they're victims... So if one gets away they go after it" Erika hazarded a guess.

"Good enough for me. This is the only hospital that's close enough to the nightclub so this is where we start" Dante said decisively. The Thunderbird roared to life as they rode up to the entrance.

-

Han lay in a hospital bed, dead to the world. Outside his window the beast leapt up,

stealthily as a shadow and dark as a nightmare. It crashed through Han's window and pounced on his lifeless form. It's fiendish tongue lanced out of it's mouth and plunged deep into the ruined sockets of Han's eyes. It made a monstrous slurping noise, the kind of noise a toothless old man sucking soup off a spoon would make, as it sucked vampire-like on whatever it was sucking out of it's prey. Then it yanked it's tongue back, tearing the shattered eyes out of the mans head and into it's mouth. It started screeching, it's back bulging terribly. Then with a sickening ripping noise two new arms tore they're way out of it's ribcage. That was when a team of police guards poured into the room.

They never stood a chance.

-

Li and Su had been arguing like there was no tomorrow when they heard the shouts. Forgetting they're dispute they drew their guns and ran to the source of the noise. There it was. It had grown bigger since last night, and it now had an extra set of arms. The team had never stood a chance. On seeing more potential victims the brute went into a frenzy. It sprang forward, firing out it's tongue and snaring Su's neck in a death grip. Li fired his revolver at it desperately, making it jerk back. It didn't let Su go, Li heard the officer's neck snap as the beast pulled back it's tongue. Li screamed at it and continued to fire until his weapon clicked empty. The monster lost interest in the dead officer and turned its attention to the live one. Li stared at it blankly when the loud boom of a 45 burned into the creature's hide.

BOOM. Downstairs, barely a few rooms from the carnage, a team of surgeons worked desperately on a heart transplant. The patient had just gone into cardiac arrest. They were charging the internal defibrillators, trying to shock the heart back into action.

"Charging, and clear!" Yelled the chief surgeon. The paddles touched into place...

BOOM. Dante opened fire with Ebony and Ivory, firing straight down the beast's line of sight. It yowled at him then lashed it's tongue at him like a whip, catching the back of his hand and throwing Ivory out of his hand. It rounded to pounce at him. Seizing Ebony with both hands Dante threw himself backwards as it leapt, firing up into it's belly.

BOOM. The whine of the ECG continued in a low constant pitch. The chief wasn't ready to give up just yet, one more time he charged the paddles.

BOOM. The cat beast landed squarely on Dante's chest. It snarled at him, then the whine of the M93Rs cut it's hiss short. Erika fired on it, a surgeon removing a tumour, the automatics were like scalpels. The thing was thrown back, giving Dante enough room to kick it off and draw Alastor. As it reeled back he charged at it, slicing a chunk of it's arm off. It roared in agony then threw itself out of the nearest window.

"Dante, heads up!" Erika called to him. The hospital was crawling with police. It wouldn't take them long to respond to a couple of suspicious characters carrying guns and a sword in a hospital. Deciding to wait until the heat died down before searching for his missing gun he grabbed Erika by the arm and leapt out of the window.

-

Yuen reached the scene first and was almost sick. The guards had been massacred. He staggered over to the nearest plant pot to catch his breath before doing anything else when, quite by chance, he found himself looking a one of the most beautifully made handguns he had ever seen. It looked like a 45 cal. with a chrome finish, the word 'Ivory' engraved on the barrel. Yuen reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Taking great care not to touch it, he picked up the gun...


	4. Next Steps

Dante was not happy. Ebony and Ivory were more than just guns to him. He had made and customised them himself so long ago that he couldn't remember ever not having them by his side. They were like a part of him, an extension of his soul. Holding Ebony in his right hand he felt Ivory's absence even more. What had he been thinking, just leaving like that? Not only had the beast escaped but also it had claimed more victims in the process. From what Dante had seen it seemed to get stronger with every life it took. God alone knew how strong it would be now. And to top it all off the hospital was now swarming with officers, the worker drones searching the place for any clue as to what had happened while the soldiers kept guard. Dante had seen CSI; there were no prizes for guessing where Ivory was now. And where the hell had Li disappeared to. If the gun was at the station then surely Li could use his position to get it back? Typical. The one time Dante actually needed Li for something he was nowhere to be found. Casting a dark look back at the hospital Dante left the scene.

-

The forensics lab was Yuen's destination. After receiving a thorough dressing down from the chief about not photographing the gun for evidence purposes and filling out a statement explaining what it was, where he had found it, when he had found it and anything else you would care to mention he had finally been allowed to take it to the firearms room to process it. First off he checked it for fingerprints, finding nothing but smudges. Clearly the shooter had been wearing gloves. Leather, judging the impressions. He sent the impressions to the trace lab anyway; maybe they had some test that could identify the brand of leather used. If he were wrong he would get yelled at again for wasting time. He didn't really feel up to thinking about that right now. Then he took photos of it, paying particular attention to the beautiful engraving work. Somebody had taken a lot of time over it. He took the clip out to see what bullets it took. 45's like he had guessed, and it was still fully loaded. That was odd. Replacing the clip he went over to a large water tank. Water slowed bullets down, after a few feet they stopped moving. It was safer to use a water tank in the lab than it would be to use a firing range. He picked up a set of headphones and goggles. Health and safety at work.

"Firing!" He called out to warn the other people in the lab, then he fired a shot into the tank. Once it stopped moving he fished it out and picked up the shell casing. First things first, he photographed the impressions made by the firing pin on the casing, then he checked the bullet under the microscope. What he saw made him forget all about photographing it.

-

Dante had returned to the apartment. Again there was no sign of Li. Erika had joined him. She stayed quiet. For a long while there was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room. Erika had seen the amount of work that Dante put into his weapons. She had nothing but respect for him and the levels of dedication he showed. Part of her felt a little guilty; leaving had been her call. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have known that the police would be all over the place. The silence was getting unbearable. This was stupid, Erika thought to herself; it was only a gun. It's not as if someone had died. The thought brought fresh waves of guilt. First over the fact that Dante had put so much of himself into the twin 45's, and second because people had died.

"Lets run through this, just to make sense of things. We got dragged off to Hong Kong to kill a devil that won't die, you hate our contact and I lost one of my guns" Dante said in a too calm voice for Erika's liking.

"Makes you wish you'd just stayed in bed" Erika joked, more to bolster her confidence than to try to lift the mood. For a moment she thought that he was going to take it the wrong way, then incredibly, he smirked.

"Ok kiddo, here's our 'to do' list. Get my gun back, kill that cat thing and find Li so we can kick the crap outta him for getting us in this mess. Agreed?"

"Like you had to ask. One problem though, how do we kill the cat thing"

"How about that long haired weirdo you mentioned. If he doesn't know anything I can always take out some aggression on him, he did put a bullet through your shoulder"

"I love the way you just conveniently remembered that" Erika sniped as Dante went to leave. Pausing only to grab the digital camera she had taken from the man, she followed him. The angry red mark under the rug remained unnoticed.

-

Superintendent Chang's office was like a dragon's lair. He was furious. The reports from the hospital massacre had just come in. Seventeen officers were dead, among them were Detective Su who had only joined Chang's precinct three months ago. And to top it all off, according to eyewitness reports a man who bore a striking resemblance to Detective Li had been spotted leaving the scene. Since then Li had disappeared. There was another problem. Han and Chu had been the leaders of two of the countries leading crime syndicates. Since word of Chu's death and Han's comatose condition other gangs in Hong Kong had taken to arms, trying to secure a piece of the syndicate's territories and power for themselves. A full-blown gang war had broken out between every two-bit hood in the city as they tried to fill the void that Chu had left and if word got out that Han was dead too the situation would only get worse. Chang re-read the reports, pausing on an interesting page. Eyewitnesses had described two individuals at the scene fighting a creature of unbelievable description. Chang was prepared to write that off as a panic induced hallucination, but the gunslingers were a different story. The first was described as male, Caucasian, mid to late twenties, over six ft tall with silver white hair and wearing a full-length red leather coat. The second was female, also Caucasian, late teens to early twenties; around 5ft5; black and silver striped hair and wearing a black three-quarter length coat with knee length boots. These two had both been heavily armed. Chang roared at the nearest person outside his office to get in there. They had just made the wanted list.

-

Yuen hadn't told anybody about the gun yet. He had taken it out of the lab and to the police firing range, claiming that the water tank wasn't giving accurate enough results. At first he thought that the duty officer wasn't going to buy it, but eventually he had been able to sign it out. At the range he checked out a few 45. ammo clips before checking the one in the gun. It was still full. The round he had fired in the lab must have been chambered. Yuen set the spare clips down before putting on a pair of headphones and goggles and taking aim. He fired off five shots at the target. Yuen was not the best marksman in the world but this time he was pleased with the results. Nothing bang on centre but at least every shot had hit something. He re-checked the clip. Again it was still full. Confused, Yuen aimed again and fired off another burst. Again he checked and again it was full. He took aim once more, intending to run the clip dry. He fired, the shots ripping the target apart. His finger grew sore at squeezing the trigger so many times. Still the gun kept going. Yuen fired until the target gave up the ghost and dropped to the ground in a tattered heap. He checked the clip, his hands shaking slightly. Still no change.

"What are you?" Yuen said quietly, tracing the name 'Ivory' with an unsteady hand.

-

Dante and Erika had decided to split up. Erika was going to look for Li while Dante tracked down the long haired weirdo. Erika had a few places in mind to check out. The police station was obviously to be avoided at all costs, If they weren't on wanted posters after the hospital fiasco then something was seriously wrong. That left Han's nightclub, Chu's place and, if Dante's hunch was right, the local cemetery. The Long Haired Man was going to be more difficult. So far all they had on him was the digital camera Erika had taken from him. The only place that he could think of was the rooftop where Erika had met him. So Dante left her at the local subway before heading in that direction. Upon reaching his destination he parked the Thunderbird and re-traced his footsteps. As he reached the rooftop in question something felt off. Instinctively he reached for Ebony and Ivory and was stunned slightly when he remembered that one was gone. Maybe that was why the creep got behind him.

"So, great minds really do think alike" A cut glass voice remarked. The unmistakeable sound of a trigger being cocked reached his ear.

"Great minds? You obviously haven't read my school reports!" Dante said calmly.

"A devil with a sense of humour! There's a perfectly good reason that most of your kind holds their tongues"

"A devil? I figured you to be the type who did his homework! Or do you just rely on your sharp wit and dashing good looks?"

He heard his attacker draw a sharp intake of breath, clearly insulted. Dante used the second's distraction to draw Ebony and spin around so that it pointed at the creep's head. The Long Haired Man's face remained impassive, his Italian shades masking his eyes. He kept his pistol aimed steadily at Dante.

"Of course, I should really have expected as much from the legendary Son of Sparda" He remarked.

"And you are?"

"That's not for you to know"

"I don't like that"

"My heart bleeds! Know this devil, once the beast we both hunt is dead I'm coming for you next"

"Mind if I ask why?"

"Devils hunting devils? The very idea is preposterous! You're up to something, and I intend to find out what"

"So its nothing personal?" Dante mocked. Despite the man's solid demeanour, Dante could see that mocking him got right under his skin.

"Very well, I shall take my leave of you now. Pray that we do not meet again"

"I'll pray that you get yourself some better lines, You're just inviting me to make fun of you"

"Quite." He said before leaving. Dante watched him go, his mind wondering if Erika had fared any better.

-

Han's club was still an active crime scene, and Erika figured that Chu's wouldn't be much better. That left the cemetery. Erika hopped over the fence, not keen on going though the front entrance in case anyone was there. Once inside she wondered to herself what to do now. It wasn't as if she had expected a neon sign pointing out her next move, but right now she was honestly stuck. After a minute's aimless wandering she cam across a grave that looked relatively new. The writing was Chinese so there was no point in her trying to read it, but the picture by the stone looked familiar. Erika still had the camera. She pulled up the picture of the woman on its memory. It was the same woman.

"The plot thickens" Erika said quietly to herself.

"What are you doing here!" A voice yelled. Li ran up to her. He was fuming.

"Looking for you, you took off in a hurry"

"Get away from her you bitch" Li snapped.

"Easy cowboy! Or did you forget who saved your life at the club?"

"And you think that gives you the right to act like you own the place!"

"Hey! If I could go back I'd let that bullet hit. You're not worth saving! But you've got a chance to help out now. I'd die happy if I never have to breath the same air as you ever again but Dante needs your help"

"Dante can go to hell for all I care. He was supposed to kill that monster, instead it kills half the Hong Kong policeforce!"

Erika felt something dark and poisonous rising inside her. Nobody had ever made her as angry as Li did.

"Last chance. Are you going to help or not?"

Li stared at her for a very long time before he turned away. Erika fought back the urge to tear his throat out as she watched him go


	5. Messing with the wrong people

Something had struck the Long Haired Man as interesting. The Son of Sparda was famed for always carrying two handguns, yet when they had met he had only held one. Interesting. The man decided that this was worth investigating...

-

Erika had stood by Mai's grave for a very long time. She could still feel the last vestiges of that black and poisonous hatred pulsing through her. It scared her that she could feel that way about anybody. Trying desperately to force her mind in another direction she wondered just how Dante had known to check here. Li was hiding something, Erika was sure of it now. Just thinking about him was enough to send fresh waves of hate through her. If Li really did know something why wouldn't he say? How many people have to suffer because he was too much of a coward to do the right thing? How many innocent people had died needlessly for him? Was this woman dead because of him? How many more would have to before this was over? Erika felt sick just thinking about it. Somehow it strengthened her resolve. In all the time she had spent with Dante there was one thing that kept coming up, that was that as an heir of Sparda's legacy she had a duty to protect innocent lives from evil. The old Super hero cliche was how she had considered it. With great power comes great responsibility, she had read plenty of comics to know. Dante was a hero, a legendary devil hunter. She had never felt like any kind of hunter, much less one like Dante. If anything she had always thought of herself as a poor copy. A flawed clone that didn't deserve to be a part of any of this. Not an honest to goodness child of Sparda. Dante didn't think that. He had never cared about her past, the Brajin cult or how they had made her. She knew that he thought of her as his little sister, recently she had even found herself starting to think of him like a brother. Now, faced with this, she finally felt what Dante had spent the past two months trying to tell her. That regardless of how it had happened, she was the Daughter of Sparda. Maybe, just maybe, Dante had been right all along. Her mind was made up. She went after Li, and if she had to beat the answers out of him then God help her, that's just what she was going to do. This had gone on for long enough.

-

The Ballistics lab was virtually empty at this time. Only Yuen was there. He had run every kind of test imaginable on the 45. and he was still no closer to finding any answers. From what he could tell it just never ran out of bullets, bullets that had no recognisable marks whatsoever on them (save an indentation from the firing pin) and glowed blue under the microscope. It just didn't make sense.

"Burning the midnight oil are we?" Said a rich accent from behind him. Yuen spun around to see the intruder.

"What an interesting weapon you're examining. Would you mind if I took a look?" The man was dressed in expensive looking clothes and had long flowing hair. He definitely didn't look like he should be here.

"Who are you?" Yuen demanded, sounding braver than he felt.

"Tsk tsk, where are your manners?" He asked as he came forward.

"This is a crime lab. Unless you've got clearance you can't come in here" Yuen said as he backed up. Subconsciously he picked up the gun that bore the name 'Ivory' as he went.

"But I have clearance! Wouldn't you like to see?". The Long Haired Man advanced...

-

Dante had already made it back to the apartment when Li stormed in.

"Goddamn bitch thinks she knows it all!" Li was muttering to himself as he slammed the door.

"Hello to you too!" Dante said nonplussed. Li looked shocked that he was not alone. He stared at Dante for a long moment.

"Hey! Policeman, you can have my autograph later. Wanna tell me what this is about?" Dante childed him. A dark look descended over Li's face.

"You! You were supposed to kill it! You bastard!" He swore at Dante as he drew his gun.

"How am I supposed to kill it when I don't know what it is?" Dante said icily. Li didn't answer, he kept his gun pointed at Dante's head.

"I had you figured all wrong, I thought you had guts" Dante said cooly as he approached Li and drew Ebony, still imposing, even without its twin. Li flinched visibly but held his ground

"You don't know anything about me"

"Believe me, I'd be a happy man if I didn't" Li stared at him, then decided that he was no match for the hunter. He turned away and headed to the door.

"Where do you think you're going" Dante called after him.

"He's not going anywhere" said a voice just outside the door. Li had about a second to take this in before he was thrown back from the door as if a wire team had just pulled him back. He crashed into the wall behind him as Erika entered, fury pouring off her to the point where it was almost visible.

"He's been lying to us ever since the start" She said with a conviction that Dante had never seen in her before. Li staggered to his feet.

"You sound sure of yourself, bitch, where's your proof?" He spat as he staggered towards her. She lashed out at him, breaking his nose and flinging him to the ground. He pulled himself back up. Again Erika punched him. Casting him down. He landed on the old rug.

"Erika, what are you doing?" Dante grabbed her and held her back.

"He deserves it, he knows something and those officers at the hospital died because he wouldn't say what!" She hissed.

"Calm down kiddo, how do you know that?" Erika pulled away from her brother.

"Ask him why he got so angry when I found his wife's grave! Ask him where he was when the devil was tearing his buddies apart at the hospital! Ask him what he was going to do when it got that boss guy!" There was a ferocity in her eyes that Dante knew only too well. Dante had had that look in his eyes before and he knew exactly what it meant.

"Erika, let me handle this. Or do you want to kill him?" Erika was stunned. She had never meant to do that. She stepped back. Dante picked up Li's prone form as Li garbled something he couldn't quite make out. In doing so he moved the rug entirely, revealing the red symbols on the ground that it had previously been covering. Dante's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what those symbols meant. Li continued to babble

"I'm...sorry, plase...forgive me...I didn't...didn't mean...". Dante flung Li's worthless hide onto the nearest chair.

"Dante, what does that mean?" Erika asked quietly.

"It means you were right kiddo" Dante said too calmly.

An ambulance pulled into the hospital. It's sirens blazing like wildfire, Paramedics scrambling like fighter pilots. A trolley was pulled off the back and rushed into the building so quickly that a casual observer might think that they had just imagined it. Doctors swarmed around the occupant of the trolley as paramedics reported a list of injuries, the young man screamed in agony. One doctor approached the closest Paramedic.

"What in the hell happened?" He asked in a no nonsense manner.

"Honestly, I don't know. He's a mess, I've never seen anything like it. I'm amazed he's still alive at all" The paramedic replied.

"That's not what I asked" said the doctor.

"We picked him up at the Police forensics lab. I don't know if he's been working with any chemicals or anything that may be a hazard. He was the only one there".

Across the street, watching with an almost amused air about him, was the Long Haired Man. In his right hand he held a beautifully made silver 45. A gun with the name 'Ivory' carved on the side...


	6. Where its all been leading

The symbols on the floor were set out in a circle. Erika had never seen anything like it before. Dante paced the outline of it like a caged animal, behind them Erika could hear Li snuffle and whimper pathetically. She couldn't care less; he was lower than scum as far as she was concerned. Dante stopped.

"A creature of vengeance, summoned by grief. By tears shall it be called forward and by blood shall it be branded, till all share in sorrow" He read off the circle.

"Wait, you can read that stuff!" Erika exclaimed.

"Devils are stupid kiddo, they think that because they got their own languages they can write everything down and no one will ever know. Once you can read their texts they may as well be coming up to you with platters and saying 'My ass, please'"

"You mean, like every James Bond bad guy?"

"Exactly, once we get back I'm gonna start you on some basic ones"

Erika groaned slightly at this. Dante continued.

"The beast shall consume not only the flesh, but also the soul of its prey. Each time growing more powerful, till none are able to equal it. Should the trapped souls be released the beast shall be no more" Dante sighed, "Well, at least its a step in the right direction"

"It doesn't happen to mention how you're supposed to do that, does it?"

"Did Goldfinger tell Bond how to get out of that laser?" Dante looked at the circle as though he expected it to do something. It didn't. After a moment he spoke again.

"What I don't get is how Li managed it. This is high level stuff"

"Maybe that's why the thing is so out of control, he thought he could handle it and got a shock when he found he couldn't" Erika reasoned. Dante nodded in agreement.

"Then he panicked and called in the professionals"

"What about Creepazoid, do you think Li called him in too?"

"Could be. I doubt he's in this for the fun of it all"

Erika fell silent. They finally had some real info on the thing that had been stalking the streets for so long, but they were still no closer to finding a real solution. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"Did you find that man?" She finally asked.

"I found him, but he wasn't exactly what I'd call helpful".

"He'll kill it, he gave me his word, he'll kill it then he'll kill you. He told me what you are" Li said thickly from his position lying on the couch.

"Does he know that it was you who summoned it?" Dante said. Li fell silent as he realised what that meant. Dante didn't know that it was the Long Haired man who had killed Han and Chu, he couldn't know.

"So what? As long as it's dead nothing else matters" He said eventually.

"So it won't matter if we tell him?" Dante asked

"He won't believe a devil like you". Silence fell for a moment.

"You know, this is the part where the villain tells Bond just what he did and how it's all going to work" Erika pointed out. Li spat on the ground.

"Not going to work kiddo"

"It was worth a try" she shrugged. Dante turned away and headed to the door.

"There's one other person who might have an idea about this. I guess I'm going to have to beat it out of him" it was pretty obvious whom he was talking about.

"Again with the senseless violence, I worry about you sometimes" Erika joked. Dante smiled.

"Watch him for me, he might know something useful. Even though I doubt it"

It was too soon for the media to have heard about it, For that Chang was eternally grateful. Somebody had broken into the forensics lab, stolen evidence from the hospital shootout and attacked a young ballistics officer. Yuen, Chang thought he had met him but couldn't be sure. That made him feel really guilty. Chang looked at his file. Yuen had only been a few weeks out of training; he had barely been here a few days. It wasn't Chang's priority to get to know every single person who he worked with, directly or not. But when someone is attacked like this... It didn't bear thinking about. Yuen had been rushed into emergency surgery. There were a lot of people now who had heard what had happened and were waiting for some word on his condition. The phone rang...

A few moments later Chang walked out to the main office where what looked like half the precinct was waiting.

"The hospital just rang, Yuen died on the operating table" A few murmurs ran through the room.

"Well, what are you waiting for? The evidence that was stolen was the gun recovered from the hospital shootout. That means that there's every chance that the two we have pictures on are behind this! I want them caught and I want it done yesterday! GET TO WORK!"

Nobody dared wait around to see if he had anything else to say.

Dante went to the only place he could think of where he would find the Long Haired man. The rooftop where they had met before. Sure enough, there he was. Waiting while the pigeons fluttered around, oblivious to the two strangers.

"Don't you have a home?" Dante asked.

"I've been waiting for you; I have something I believe you would be interested in"

"Let me guess, you're an insurance salesman? It would explain the way you dress"

"Laugh now devil, I assure you, you won't be laughing soon" He turned to face Dante, holding up an exquisite silver 45. cal bearing the name 'Ivory' on the barrel. Dante answered by drawing an equally magnificent blackened 45. bearing the name 'Ebony'.

"Let's rock" He sneered.

Erika studied the circle on the ground, trying to see how Dante could have understood what it said. Li had remained silent since Dante had left, that suited her fine. Something felt wrong about this. She couldn't place it but something was seriously unsettling her. Li snuffled loudly, breathing heavily through his mouth since she had broken his nose. It wasn't him, so what was it? Leaving Li she went to the back window and looked out. At first she couldn't see anything, but then movement caught her eye. There it was, stalking, looking for prey. The monster. Erika felt her blood rising as it came into view. It was bigger than ever. Four arms, all hideously long and thin. More eyes than she could count. And then there was that tongue. Looking down Erika could see it clearly as it sniffed the air, then it turned its misshapen head towards her. It stretched it's mouth open as far as it would go. It looked wide enough to swallow a grown man whole. She reached for her guns.

"Not this time, damn you, not this time" She said quietly, backing up a few steps, then running straight at the window and diving through.


	7. What it all came to

A shower of broken glass and hot bullets rained down on the monster from above as Erika fell like an avenging angel. It roared it's defiance as the heavens turned against it. Falling debris tearing into the beast as it fell. It yowled angrily before bolting. Erika landed behind it and fired. The automatics whined and flashed as they dealt their own brand of judgement on the creature. Sensing that the cause of it's pain was now within striking distance the once cat like monster turned back. It looked nothing like it had done when she had seen it at the hospital. It was bigger, it had more eyes than should be allowed and it was not humanly possible for limbs as long and spindly as those to ever support that bulk, yet the four arms and two legs managed it anyway. The only thing that hadn't changed was it's tongue. That still lashed like a whip. Erika had had enough.

"Hey, ugly, what are you waiting for?" She yelled at it. It bellowed in response before charging straight at her.

"Dante, where the hell are you?" She asked softly.

For a few moments Dante and his foe circled each other, sizing each other up, judging and assessing each other, looking for weaknesses. Ebony and Ivory stared each other down, on opposing sides for the first time in their existence. Dante fired first, Ebony screamed in outrage at the man who dared to take its brother. Ivory answered in fury as the Long Haired man dropped to the ground. The bullets passing harmlessly over his head. Dante twisted through the air and effortlessly avoided each shot. The man was barely on the ground for a second, he was back on the offensive before Dante could blink. Dante charged forwards, striking Ivory with Ebony and knocking the shot to the side. It passed so close that Dante could feel it touch the side of his face, as gentle as a lover's touch. The Long Haired man pushed back, Dante spun, making him push too far. He fired, the bullet passing the Long Haired man's head close enough to cut through his hair. Humiliated, he fought back. He twisted under Dante's arm, firing twice. Dante felt the searing air as he moved away from the shots. He spun forward, catching his opponent off guard with a single shot that passed past the man's eyes. Then he struck the man over the head with the butt of his gun. As he fell to the ground he turned and fired, the shots hit Dante in the arm and shoulder. The half devil didn't even feel them.

"An impressive weapon, then again, I should expect as much. You do have quite the reputation"

"Enjoy it while you can. I'm taking it back, and that trigger finger of yours" Dante burned. Alastor crackled with barely suppressed ferocity. The sword had been all but forgotten about since Dante had reached Hong Kong. His enemy sprang to his feet. He ran forward, firing Ivory as he ran. Dante dived, drawing the sword in the process and smacking his aggressor as he passed. The Long Haired man was thrown to the ground.

"A sword? In a gunfight? This will be easier than I thought"

"You mean there is a brain in that over styled had of yours? Think what you want, you just lost the whole hand now" Lightning danced across Alastor's blade as Dante pointed it at the Long Haired man. He spat on the ground.

"I fear no devil!" He jeered. It sounded ugly, all traces of class gone from his voice.

"Careful, you're accent's slipping"

Insulted, the Long Haired man threw himself at the Son of Sparda; Dante swiped with his sword almost casually. Two huge tears appeared in the man's silk suit.

"Where's all that elegance now? Or was it all just an act?" Dante mocked

"I'm not afraid of you! I've fought devils like you for years! You are nothing to me!"

"Devil hunting 101, There IS no devil like me! And I've been doing this my whole life, so either wise up and quit wasting my time or do something worth my being bothered about. I can't believe I thought you were ever worth giving a damn about"

The man was angry now, Dante could see it as though he had a neon sign around his neck. It was making him sloppy. For a supposed devil hunter, he was now making foolish amateur mistakes that under normal circumstances would have killed him a long time ago. He was used to working with a partner, almost to the point where he would have depended on the other person to save his ass at every given moment. He was as tough as they come, that much was obvious, but without his other half he flew off the handle at the slightest thing. It was pathetic really. He acted cool, but he was nothing but a bully. And now he was faced with someone he couldn't push around. He just didn't know how to cope.

"What's wrong, am I not following your script?" Dante challenged. The man screamed as he attacked. Dante moved so fast that that he barely knew what had happened. One moment he stood, gun in hand, ready to fire. Then he was staring at the end of his arm where his hand had once been. Alastor had burned the stump, cauterised the wound. It didn't bleed at all. He fell to his knees in shock. Dante stood over him, Ebony and Ivory reunited in his hands.

"I don't kill humans, even if I did you wouldn't be worth the effort. Get outta my sight" The Son of Sparda spat these words at the man who had once claimed that he would kill him. Pride goes before a fall. Dante walked away.

Erika had spent the past few minutes dodging the monster's attacks. It seemed to have targeted her specifically. It wasn't running off or looking for other people to attack, although considering the way it had hunted down Han that wasn't surprising. Erika wasn't thinking of that right now, she was desperately trying to remember what the circle had said. All that she could remember was something about souls. Where the hell was Dante when she needed him. The beast suddenly thrust it's tongue towards her like a lance aimed squarely at her chest. Erika barely dodged it in time. It cut into her leg and knocked her down to the ground. A pair of guard dogs barked at her from behind the barbed wire fence that separated them from the fray. The devil ignored them as it pounced at its prey. Erika flipped onto her back and fired at it with both guns. It screeched and twisted in mid air and landed against the fence. The barbs cut into it's hide like teeth. As it thrashed about wildly it dug itself deeper into it's trap, the wire acting like a snare. The dogs snapped and snarled at it as it yowled in agony. Erika stood up on unsteady legs and watched. An idea forming in her head. The brute freed itself and landed on the side of the fence where the dogs were. Big mistake, these dogs were trained to tear any intruder to pieces. They attacked it, biting and tearing into it. The beast flailed and thrashed at them but they were too quick and it too big for it to be any good. While it was busy Erika leapt up, grabbing at the wire, careful not to cut her hands. As she landed she quickly wrapped the wire round the monster's neck. The dogs backed off, whining slightly. Whoever the newcomer was, they did not want to get in her way. They could feel it. It lashed out with it's tongue at Erika, slapping her across the face and cutting into her cheek. She held on and pulled the wire tighter, cutting in deeper. It choked, but prepared it's tongue for another attack. The dogs growled at it, then the larger of the two sprang forward and seized it's tongue. The second looked doubtful for a moment, then grabbed on as well. Between them they yanked at pulled at the tongue, stretching it to its limits. Erika kept increasing the tension on the wire, cutting further and further into the beast's neck. She hadn't counted the dogs into this but they were proving invaluable. The dogs yanked again as though playing tug' o 'war. This time the tongue came away with a hideous tearing sound. They ran off to a corner to fight over their trophy. Then something strange happened. White lights began pouring out of the stump where it's tongue had been. Erika didn't dare let go of the wire, even after the lights went away, even after the monster fell and didn't get up. It wasn't until Dante found her that she even dared to move.

"You went and had all the fun without me kiddo!" He said, making her jump "What happened?"

One explanation later and Dante was smiling.

"Your first devil, all on your own too!"

"No, the dogs..." Erika stopped as she realised just how ridiculous that sounded.

"I like dogs. They have pure souls, devils can't possess them like other creatures. It's coz they're so loyal. The Underworld had to make their own version, Hell Hounds, but they don't even come close! Where do you think the term 'man's best friend' came from?" Dante said as he scratched the top of one of the dogs heads.

"What about Li?"

"He ran, and good riddance too"

"Creepo?"

"We won't be hearing from him"

Back home, Dante had a surprise for Erika. He found her watching the news.

"Hey, listen to this, Hong Kong police picked up our 'friend'. He confessed to the murders of Han and Chu, and to beating up a young lab tech who died later because of it. They're still looking for the suspects who were at the hospital, that would be us" Erika reported

"Yeah, we better avoid Hong Kong for a while"

"It gets better, They found the body of that devil. The dogs had eaten parts of it, but they couldn't find..." Erika turned to face him, "You didn't"

"I did" He was carrying a sword in one hand and a sack in the other.

"That isn't..."

"It is" He put the sack down and pulled the multi eyed, tongue less head of the beast out.

"Do you want to do the honours?" He offered

"Err... no, that's ok"

Dante found a nice spot on the wall and impaled the head. Then he stood back to admire his handiwork. Erika just shook her head.


End file.
